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The online fashion brand Le Tote intends to close on its purchase of Lord & Taylor by before the start of the 2019 holiday season, and beginning in 2021 may reassess the retailer’s network of stores.The online fashion brand Le Tote intends to close on its purchase of Lord & Taylor by before ...Credits: TAPinto Westfield File Photo

By MATT KADOSH

September 11, 2019 at 5:14 AM

WESTFIELD, NJ — The online fashion rental brand Le Tote intends to close on its purchase of Lord & Taylor by the start of the holiday season, and beginning in 2021 may reassess the retailer’s network of stores, the company’s announcement said.

What this means for Westfield’s expansive Lord & Taylor on property owned by the municipality’s largest taxpayer, Hudson’s Bay Company, municipal officials and business leaders could only begin to consider this week.

Mayor Shelley Brindle said she has not spoken with leaders at Le Tote but is optimistic, based on her conversations with top executives at Hudson’s Bay Company and Lord & Taylor.

“The 2021 time frame allows a lot of runway to see if there is the opportunity for a better, higher use for that property that might benefit the town,” Brindle said.

The joint statement from Le Tote and Lord & Taylor last month said HBC may be “recapturing select locations to determine their highest and best use, including possible redevelopment into mixed-use properties with a variety of services, experiences and retail offerings.”

Voters elected Brindle in 2017 on a pro-business platform, and the possible changes slated for 2021 would come in the same year Brindle’s mayoral term is set to expire. Brindle said she is confident, based on her conversations with Hudson’s Bay Company, the property owner, and Lord & Taylor that the companies will remain a beneficial partner for the municipality.

“They are very committed to being partners with us,” Brindle said. “They don’t want to just come in and say ‘this is what we’re doing.’”

Requests to Le Tote and Hudson’s Bay Company seeking comment beyond last month’s media statement were not returned this week.

Courtenay Mercer, the executive director of Downtown New Jersey, which represents downtown business districts statewide, noted that the department’s store’s Westfield location is among the largest of its New Jersey stores. It is 150,000 square feet.

“The space would probably be too big for what they’re thinking about,” Mercer said. “But I would think and hope they would be able to subdivide the space and, hopefully, Le Tote could be one of multiple tenants there.”

The Le Tote takeover encapsulates what’s happening in retail these days, she said.

“It is emblematic of what is going on in retail right now,” Mercer said. “It is shifting largely to online sales, but they still want the brick and mortar places.”

Brindle noted that Hudson’s Bay Company, which pays around $500,000 in property taxes annually to Westfield, also owns the two parking lots across from the Lord & Taylor store.

“We need to lean into that transformation and help drive it in a way that benefits us,” she said. “And that holds for all of the downtown. You can’t hide in the way things used to be.”

Kathleen Miller Prunty, the recently appointed interim executive director of the Downtown Westfield Corporation, the government entity managing the business district in which Lord & Taylor sits, said Le Tote’s model of renting clothing is not without precedent when one considers that men have been renting tuxedos for years.

“It’s like anything else, retail or otherwise,” Miller Prunty said. “Times change. … This is just yet another example of retailers who are working really hard to stay competitive.”

KENILWORTH, NJ – The first annual Apple Pie Contest will be held Saturday, September 21, at 12:00 p.m. at the Jersey Fresh Farmers’ Market. If you would like to participate, pick out and purchase your apples from Farmer George on Saturday, September 14, and fill out your registration form. To qualify for the contest, apples must be bought from Farmer George. Bake your pie and bring it to ...

KENILWORTH, NJ – The first annual Apple Pie Contest will be held Saturday, September 21, at 12:00 ...

KENILWORTH, NJ - The David Brearley High School PTO Class 2020 Project Graduation Craft and Vendor Fair will be Saturday, October 5. The event is free to enter and will be held at David Brearley Middle/High School from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The PTO are still looking for more vendors. If you would like to participate please contact Jennifer Wetzel at 908-414-0138 or jennifer73172@gmail.com.

KENILWORTH, NJ- The Brearley Bears varsity soccer team extended its winning streak to three matches on Wednesday, September 11, the latest a 6-0 victory over Plainfield.

At the end of the first half the score was 2-0 with Brearley in the lead. “The team struggled to find the back of the net in the first half. The heat definitely seemed to factor into their performance. However, they still ...

KENILWORTH, NJ- The Brearley Bears varsity soccer team extended its winning streak to three matches ...

BEDMINSTER, N.J. – A 26-year-old Milford man has been charged with criminal mischief after police say he tore apart the 11th and 13th greens at Trump National Golf Course with his car in two separate incidents, according to Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson.

The suspect, Richard J. McEwan, was arrested at his Church Road home on Sept. 10th following an investigation, according to ...

BEDMINSTER, N.J. – A 26-year-old Milford man has been charged with criminal mischief after police ...

KENILWORTH, NJ – Yesterday afternoon at Rahway High School, was a huge success for Brearley Bears girls soccer. Both varsity and junior varsity teams defeated Rahway at the away game Tuesday, September 10. The girls varsity won 3-0, and junior varsity won 2-0.

From the varsity team Amber Fernandes scored all three goals for the game. Micaela Etlinger assisted the first and Catherine Goger ...

We asked Grain & Cane Bar & Table in Berkeley Heights to share a couple of their favorite apple cider cocktail recipes. These are perfect for sipping as we slide past the dog days of summer and into the fall.

Cider Old Fashioned

“This one is our new featured cocktail,” said Margareth Salas of Grain & Cane.